Brian Braime [Brian Boru] (c.

9411014)
Brian Boru is the most famous Irishman before the modern era who rose to be kin of Ire!and" d#in a
heroic death at the batt!e of $!ontarf on %& '(ri! 1014. )e ot his nickname Boru from the *!d Irish
bruma" +of the catt!e tribute," or more !ike!# +of B-! Braime," a rinfort near .i!!a!oe" $o. $!are where he
had a ro#a! residence. )e was born about 941" at or near .i!!a!oe" one of the twe!/e sons of $enn-ti
(d. 901)" kin of 12! $ais. 3nder Brian,s father and o!der brother 4athamain the fami!# 5uick!# rew in
im(ortance and b# 967 4athamain was described as kin of $ashe! (i.e. 4unster).
Brian himse!f fouht few ma8or batt!es" in 979 he fouht a contest for the kinshi( of 4unster between
12! $ais and the :anachta and emered /ictorious. B# 1000 he had successfu!!# estab!ished
himse!f as kin of the ;outhern ha!f of Ire!and and was read# to cha!!ene the *< =ei! (3i =ei!!) fami!# in
order to c!aim the tit!e of )ih .in.
*/er the ne>t ten #ears Brian fouht se/era! batt!es aainst the =orthern kins to strenthen his tit!e as
.in of a!! Ire!and ha/in a!read# defeated the *< =ei!!s. )owe/er" as he was ainin contro! in the
north" his son?in?!aw .in ;itric ;i!kenbeard of 1ub!in and the .in of @einster" 42e!mrda mac
4urchada" !aunched a rebe!!ion forcin Brian to s(end from 9 ;e(tember unti! $hristmas 101&
attackin them but he fai!ed to restore the (eace.
Ahe Batt!e of $!ontarf (1014)
Brian then had to attem(t to brin 1ub!in and @einster under contro!" and this cu!minated in the famous
batt!e of $!ontarf" on Bood Crida#" %& '(ri! 1014.
It was a !are and b!ood# batt!e. Ahe 1ub!in armies were !ed b# the /ikin kin" ;itric ;i!kenbeard who
ained su((ort from other Dikin sett!ers from 4an and the Eestern and =orthern is!es. Ehi!e Brian
had on!# !imited su((ort from 4unster" south $onnacht" and (erha(s 4ide (the mid!ands of Ire!and).
'ccounts of the batt!e sa# that the fihtin !asted a!! da# with both sides usin simi!ar wea(onar#.
('!thouh the /ikins wou!d ha/e had the benefit of armour). )a/in arri/ed b# shi(" the =orse forces
were forced to retreat !ate in the da# as the tide chaned and scattered their shi(s across the ba#.
3nab!e to reach a nearb# wood for safet# the 1ub!in arm# was !eft fihtin with their backs to the sea
and no (ossibi!it# of esca(e. Aherefore it became easier for Brian<s arm# to defeat their o((onents
howe/er" a!thouh the# won the da# Brian himse!f was ki!!ed.
@ater accounts (ortra# the e!der!# and saint!# .in Brian" whi!e (ra#in in his tent" bein bruta!!#
assassinated b# the f!eein Dikin !eader" Brdir. Ahis is not mentioned in contem(orar# accounts"
a!thouh the# do re(ort that after the batt!e the bodies of Brian and of his son 4urchad were brouht
ceremonious!# to 'rmah b# its c!er#" and there waked for twe!/e nihts" before bein buried in a new
tomb.
Ahe @eac# of the Batt!e
;omethin about the batt!e of $!ontarf and its hero has ne/er fai!ed to ho!d the imaination of the Irish
nation and it seems that $!ontarf wi!! remain an im(ortant !andmark. 's it was Brian Braime,s u!timate
/ictor# o/er his o((onents" it can be said that his career ended in !or#" that he broke the 3F =-i!!
mono(o!# of the hih?kinshi(" and thereb# sha(ed the course of Irish histor# for the ne>t 100 #ears.
Ehat is more" renewed ;candina/ian attacks on :n!and and Ire!and in the run?u( to $!ontarf suest
that Brian,s /ictor# ma# ha/e (re/ented a !are?sca!e ;candina/ian attack on Ire!and" such as that
which the 1anish .in .nut and his fami!# successfu!!# mounted aainst :n!and at this time.
Brian<s (ower (assed to his son 1onnchad (d. 1064)" then in turn to 1onnachad<s more successfu!
ne(hew" Aairde!bach (d. 1096) and to his son" 4uirchertach (d. 1119)" the fami!# b# then s(ortin with
(ride the surname 3a Briain (*,Brien).
The Battle of Clontarf
1. Ehen and where was Brian Boru bornG
%. Eho did he cha!!ene to become )ih .in of Ire!andG
&. Ehat (rob!em arose whi!e he was fihtin the =orhtern kinsG
4. Ehen did the Batt!e of $!ontarf take (!aceG
0. Eho !ed the armies that fouht each other at the Batt!eG
6. Ehat (rob!em (re/ented the =ordicH1ub!in armies from retreatinG
7. )ow did Brian Boru dieG
9. Eh# is the Batt!e of $!ontarf seen as an im(ortant e/en in Ire!and<s histor#G
9. Ehat e/ent cou!d ha/e been (re/ented b# Brian<s /ictor# o/er the =ordic armies at $!ontarfG
Ahe Batt!e of $!ontarf
4an# (eo(!e miht be sur(rised to hear that $!ontarf is not mentioned in the ear!# anna!?accounts of
the batt!e. Ahe ear!iest certain reference to $!ontarf seems to sur/i/e in a !ist of the kins of 4unster
(reser/ed in the twe!fth?centur# Book of @einster which states that Brian was ki!!ed in +the Batt!e of
$!ontarf Eeir ($ath $orad $!uana Aarb),.
Ahus the batt!e was contested in the immediate en/irons of this weir. ;ome think it was a sa!mon weir
on the Ii/er Ao!ka near Ba!!#bouh Bride. Ahis" howe/er" is not in $!ontarf as such. It is (ossib!e
therefore that the weir was not a barrier across the Ao!ka but was simi!ar to the ancient estuarine
fishtra(s found for instance in the ;hannon :stuar# and ;tranford @ouh" and one cou!d /isua!iJe one
of these a!on the tida! shore!ine at $!ontarf and between it and $!ontarf Is!and (which sur/i/ed unti! the
nineteenth centur# and now forms (art of Cair/iew Kark). Ahis is corroborated b# the account e!sewhere
in the $oadh B2edhe! re Ba!!aibh of the death of Brian,s 10?#ear?o!d randson Aairde!bach" who +went
after the Coreiners into the sea" when the rushin tide wa/e struck him a b!ow aainst the weir of
$!ontarf (im carrid $!uana Aarb)" and so he was drowned,.
Ahe $oadh asserts that" ha/in reached 1ub!in" Brian,s forces (!undered Cine Ba!!" north of the @iffe#"
and when the Coreiners of 1ub!in saw the area around )owth set ab!aJe the# came into 4a :!ta" the
coasta! (!ain to which the )owth (eninsu!a attaches and +raised their batt!e?standards on hih,. '!! the
e/idence suests that Brian himse!f" now in his ear!# 70s" did not take (art in the ensuin batt!e"
instead (itchin cam( out on the Caicthe Ltha $!iath" a reen area to the west of 1ub!in often thouht
to be in the /icinit# of .i!mainham.
4eanwhi!e" the ;candina/ian f!eet whose arri/a! in 1ub!in is attested to in a /ariet# of sources was
in 1ub!in Ba#" (erha(s off the eastern (Cair/iew) end of $!ontarf. Ahese ;candina/ians !inked u( with
the =orse of 1ub!in and the @einstermen" their /esse!s ha/in a/ai!ed of the fu!! tide to make a !andin.
Batt!e bean at first !iht and raed a!! da#. But as the tide receded" so it drew the ;candina/ia /esse!s
with it and scattered them about the ba#. B# e/enin the =orse were com(e!!ed to retreat and wou!d
ha/e made for the safet# of ;itriuc,s fortress at 1ub!in or a wood that seems to ha/e stood in the other
direction (towards )owth) not" it a((ears" the famous $ai!! Aomair (+Eood of Mrarr,)" a tract of
oakwood" c!ose to 1ub!in" and hih!# (riJed b# the 1ub!iners rather a !ess ce!ebrated ro/e"
a((arent!# to the east of the batt!e?site. Ahe (rob!em for the enem# forces scatterin before Brian,s men
was that the# cou!d not et to this wood because the incomin tide was between them and it.
;imi!ar!#" on the west side of the batt!efie!d" as Brian,s f!eein enemies f!ed the# were s!auhtered" on!#
twent# 1ub!iners" the $oadhte!!s us" esca(in" +and it was at 1uba!!,s Bride the !ast of these was
ki!!ed,. Ee do not know who 1uba!! was or where his bride was" but he ma# be 1uba!! mac 'm!aFb"
brother of .in ;itriuc ;i!kbeard" who commanded the 1ub!in forces at $!ontarf ;itriuc himse!f sta#ed
inside the town to (re/ent it fa!!in into enem# hands and (erha(s 1uba!! is a!so the man whose
estate at Bai!e 1ubai!! i/es us Ba!do#!e. It is sometimes assumed that his was the bride o/er the
@iffe# (not far from the Cour $ourts) which se(arated the town of 1ub!in from its northern suburb of
*>mantown then a!read# beinnin to take sha(e. But a more !ike!# !ocation is a bride stradd!in the
Ao!ka at Ba!!#bouh (which wou!d fit if 1uba!! did indeed i/e his name to Ba!do#!e which one reaches
to this da# b# the same route). If this is the case" the =orse needed to reach this bride and cross o/er
the Ao!ka to esca(e to 1ub!in but the tide was between them and the bride.
*n the modern !andsca(e we can imaine the defeated forces bein at the o!d heart of $!ontarf sa#"
between $ast!e '/enue and ;ea/iew '/enueH;ti!es Ioad bein (ushed downhi!! towards the sea"
and to esca(e to the bride the# wou!d ha/e to tra/erse what is now Cair/iew ;trand" e>ce(t that the
incomin tide had submered it. In the other direction" (rotection was offered b# a wooded area which
!a# (erha(s to the east of Dernon '/enue but the inundation of the area around *u!ton Ioad and
Be!ro/e Ioad b!ocked off that route a!so" and so the# had no o(tion (resumab!# but to (osition
themse!/es with their backs to the sea and make a stand" which (ro/ed disastrous for them" man# of
them drownin as the# were beaten back.